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Look away, Russell Wilson: the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks are back in the Super Bowl, and the Malcolm Butler interception is about to be replayed over and over.
As nice, or as painful, as those memories might be for both fan bases, the Patriots and Seahawks couldn't be more different than they were 11 years ago. Not a single player remains from either team, and only New England OC Josh McDaniels, who left Foxborough and returned, is a familiar face on the sidelines from Super Bowl 49.
Sam Darnold was a high school senior when the Patriots and Seahawks last met in the Super Bowl, while Drake Maye was in fifth grade. One will leave Santa Clara a Super Bowl champion for the first time.
On the coaching side, it's also the first appearance for both Mike Vrabel and Mike Macdonald. Vrabel, of course, is familiar with the NFL's biggest stage as a player. He won three Super Bowls in a Patriots uniform, but he is making his first trip as a coach. Macdonald, meanwhile, has taken the Seahawks to the Super Bowl in only his second season as a head coach at any level, further validating the controversial decision by Seattle two years ago to move on from Pete Carroll.
Here's a look at the opening odds for Super Bowl 60, including the spread and over/under.
MORE: How Seahawks defense compares to Legion of Boom
Super Bowl 60 odds, spread, line for Patriots vs. Seahawks
All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
- Opening spread: Seahawks -3.5 (-115) | Patriots +3.5 (+105)
- Moneyline: Seahawks -220 | Patriots +180
- Over/under: O 46.5 (-110) | U 46.5 (-110)
Oddsmakers are pegging the Seahawks as the favorites to win Super Bowl 60, an idea that would have seemed unimaginable when the season first began.
The Patriots and Seahawks posted an identical 14-3 record this season, but the top of the NFC was viewed as stiffer competition than the top of the AFC, and New England's offensive struggles in the playoffs have been tough to ignore. The Patriots can be excused for not having an explosive day offensively in the snow against a tough Denver Broncos defense, but New England also struggled in that department against the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers.
The Texans and Chargers both have great defenses, but so do the Seahawks. Macdonald's defense ranked top-10 in just about every statistical category in the regular season, swarming quarterbacks while also shutting down passing games with a tremendous secondary. Meanwhile, veteran Demarcus Lawrence, along with LBs Ernest Jones IV and Drake Thomas, helped shore up Seattle's run defense.
Maye will finish higher than Darnold in MVP voting, but whether he will be able to handle such a balanced defense is a burning question entering Super Bowl 60.
The Patriots' defense is no slouch, either. New England won all three of its games on the way to the Super Bowl because of a stellar defense, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will have his hands full with a secondary headed by Christian Gonzalez.
There is the element of the unknown, too. Darnold and Maye have never played in a Super Bowl. Macdonald and Vrabel have never coached in a Super Bowl. The same can be said of most of the rosters, with some key exceptions. Some may view the Seahawks as the decisively better team, but the unknowns for both sides are likely a factor in limiting Seattle's advantage in the opening odds.
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